Covid 19 coronavirus: French President Emmanuel Macron tests positive

French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for Covid-19 after a week in which he met with numerous European leaders. The French and Spanish prime ministers and the president of the EU Council were among many senior officials who isolated themselves because they had recent contact with him.

Macron underwent a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared” and will self-isolate himself for seven days, the presidency said in a short statement. He did not detail what symptoms Macron experienced or any treatment he may be receiving.

The 42-year-old president “will continue working and taking care of his activities remotely,” the statement added. His wife, Brigitte, 67, will also self-isolate, but has no symptoms and tested negative on Tuesday before a visit to a Paris hospital, his office said.

French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said contact tracing efforts were in progress. He said Macron began to feel symptoms overnight and will continue to work from the Elysee presidential palace.

“The virus has been circulating in France and around the world for several months and the presidency and the government are used to working in these circumstances,” Attal said.

Macron joined a growing list of leaders who have tested positive for the virus, including US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who wished him a speedy recovery on Twitter.

France has a tradition of maintaining strict medical privacy, even for senior officials, and Macron once said he would release medical information only when justified by the impact it could have on his presidency.

Macron has rarely been seen in public without a mask in recent months, only removing it when delivering a speech or at a press conference when he is at a safe distance from others. For several months, masks have been demanded in all indoor public places in France and everywhere outdoors in large cities.

The French president has had multiple face-to-face meetings in recent days at home and in Brussels where he attended a European Union summit late last week. The Elysee Palace confirmed that a trip to Lebanon scheduled for next week will be canceled.

Some have questioned Macron’s many activities as the country is implementing strict anti-virus measures, including a shutdown since October that was only partially lifted on Tuesday and now includes a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. All restaurants and bars, sites tourist and many other public places remain closed.

“Zero risk does not exist. We are all equal in the face of this disease,” said Thomas Mesnier, a lawmaker for Macron’s party and an emergency doctor by training.

“Anyone can get sick, even if protection measures are scrupulously respected and masks are worn,” he told news station France-Info.

EU leaders met in person on December 10-11, for the first time since October, as the summit included key negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget and recovery fund and climate-related policies. . The media stayed away from the summit venue in Brussels, but television footage showed the leaders in masks, generally keeping a good distance, preferring elbow strokes to the usual handshakes, kisses and hugs, and occasionally using hand gel dispensers in the room.

“During the European Council on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December all sanitary measures were observed and we have not been informed of any other participant or staff present during the summit who tested positive,” said an EU official, to whom he was not allowed to be identified. in public.

However, the Spanish government announced that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who met with Macron on Monday during an event at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), will self-quarantine until 24th of December. Sánchez informed the King of Spain. Felipe VI of the decision and canceled an appearance Thursday at the National Library of Spain.

Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa, who had lunch with Macron on Wednesday, underwent a test for Covid-19, has shown no symptoms and is in self-isolation awaiting the result, his office said. Costa canceled a three-day official visit to West Africa starting Friday, as well as his attendance at all other events.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and several other senior EU officials announced that they were going to isolate themselves as a precautionary measure.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had a bilateral meeting with Macron in Brussels, had had a PCR test done a few days after the European Council meeting as a matter of course and it had been negative, her office said.

Macron’s positive test also led several high-profile French politicians and government officials to isolate themselves as a precaution.

On Wednesday, Macron held the weekly government cabinet meeting and in the evening he had dinner with several members of his party. The day before, Macron had lunch with the heads of the political groups in the National Assembly.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex’s office said he tested negative on Thursday, but will isolate himself for seven days.

Several politicians who attended a lunch or dinner at the Elysee palace recently described strict sanitary protocols, with guests positioned around a very large table and speaking into a microphone so that they could maintain distance between them. Some said they have been informed by the presidency that they are not considered to have been in close contact with the president, because they were too far away.

Macron has always been an active president who travels frequently. It has reduced its activities a bit this year, but continued to hold face-to-face meetings in Paris, other French cities and in Brussels, as the number of virus infections was high in the country in recent weeks. He welcomed the president of Egypt on a state visit to France earlier this month.

The French president follows the recommendations of the national health authorities that since September have reduced the time of self-isolation from 14 days to seven. The authorities said at the time that this is the period in which there is a greater risk of contagion and that reducing it allows a better application of the measure.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends isolating for at least 10 days after the first symptoms appear.